Antenna window and antenna pattern for electronic devices and methods of manufacturing the same

Abstract

A housing for an electronic device, including an aluminum layer enclosing a volume that includes a radio-frequency (RF) antenna is provided. The housing includes a window aligned with the RF antenna; the window including a non-conductive material filling a cavity in the aluminum layer; and a thin aluminum oxide layer adjacent to the aluminum layer and to the non-conductive material; wherein the non-conductive material and the thin aluminum oxide layer form an RF-transparent path through the window. A housing for an electronic device including an integrated RF-antenna is also provided. A method of manufacturing a housing for an electronic device as described above is provided.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A housing for an electronic device, comprising:
 a metal layer; 
 a first and a second gap formed through a thickness of the metal layer and arranged to form an electrically isolated segment of the metal layer, wherein the electrically isolated segment forms a radio frequency (RF) antenna;
 a non-conductive material filling the first and the second gaps in the metal layer; and 
 a metal oxide layer formed on an exterior surface of the metal layer and extending across the first and the second gaps and the electrically isolated segment, wherein the metal oxide layer forms an RF-transparent window. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the non-conductive material is a metal oxide. 
     
     
       3. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the metal layer is aluminum. 
     
     
       4. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the non-conductive material comprises a polymer. 
     
     
       5. The electronic device of  claim 1 , further comprising a third gap formed through the thickness of the metal layer. 
     
     
       6. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the metal layer comprises aluminum and the metal oxide layer comprises aluminum oxide. 
     
     
       7. A method of manufacturing a housing for an electronic device, the method comprising:
 forming a metal layer; 
 forming a first and a second gap through a thickness of the metal layer to isolate a segment of the metal layer; 
 filling the first and second gaps with a non-conductive material; and 
 forming a metal oxide layer on the metal layer, wherein the metal oxide layer extends across the first and the second gaps and the segment. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the non-conductive material is a metal oxide. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the metal oxide layer is formed before the first and second gaps. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 7 , wherein forming the first and the second gaps is performed by converting portions of the metal layer to a metal oxide. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein forming the first and the second gaps includes masking a portion of an interior surface of the metal layer and performing a Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) at an unmasked portion of an interior surface of the metal layer. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the filling includes using a material selected from the group consisting of a plastic, a thermosetting polymer, and a resin. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 7 , forming the first and the second gaps includes machining the metal layer, etching away the metal layer, or both. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 7 , wherein forming the first and the second gaps includes forming micro-perforations in an interior side of the metal layer to establish thin wall sections that allow substantially all of the metal layer at the thin wall sections to be anodized. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 forming a third gap in the metal layer. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein one or more RF antennas are formed in the metal layer. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the metal oxide layer is formed by first depositing an aluminum layer on a surface of the housing by performing a process selected from the group consisting of physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, ion vapor deposition, cathodic arc deposition, and plasma spray deposition.